


The Bullseye Case

by ThefirstRanger



Category: Ranger's Apprentice - John Flanagan
Genre: Detective AU, F/M, Mentions of violence/character death but it's pretty vague, Minor Original Character(s), Mutual Pining, Rated teen just to be safe, Sharing a Bed, Undercover
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-11
Updated: 2020-03-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22668613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThefirstRanger/pseuds/ThefirstRanger
Summary: Private detective Cassie Serenne is assigned to investigate the death of Lieutenant Samdash. Officer Horace Altman is also assigned to the case and sparks start to fly. In their investigation, they meet a cast of interesting characters including shady bartender Crowley Meratyn and the suspicious mechanic Halt O'Carrick. Soon Horace and Cassie are trapped in a complicated web and have to figure out the truth.
Relationships: Cassandra | Evanlyn & Will Treaty, Horace Altman & Will Treaty, Horace Altman/Cassandra | Evanlyn, Will Treaty/Alyss Mainwaring
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	1. The Investigation Starts and the Two Detectives Meet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Arcanziel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcanziel/gifts).



> On Tumblr, @uncanny-accuracy posted an au prompt list with the prompt "Detective Serenne and Officer Altman investigate the murder of Lieutenant Samdash." I got inspired and voila!

Lieutenant Samdash had never missed a day of work in his life, a fact that tipped people off that something was up when he failed to show up for work at the station one day. Samdash was by no means the perfect officer, he had a bad habit of refusing to take orders from anyone he deemed "unsuited" for command, but he had been one of the good ones in the station, always ready to help out anyone who needed it. Needless to say, it shocked everyone when the officers who went to check up on him reported that he was dead. 

His apartment was fairly clean, no sign of a struggle when Chief of Police Rodney Batel stepped across the caution tape. Rodney had worked for a long time with Samdash and while he wouldn't say they had been close, he had considered Samdash a friend and a good officer. 

Officer Karel came up beside Rodney and bowed his head. It was a tragedy losing Samdash. 

“Do you think it was, you know…” Karel gestured vaguely. Rodney got what he was trying to say and shook his head. 

"I- I don't honestly know," sighed Rodney. "Samdash didn't seem like the type, but he had always been on the outskirts of the precinct and he had been on edge lately. And there’s no evidence of an intruder." 

"He had always been kind of closed off. It could have been paranoia, undiagnosed PTSD? He was a part of that big raid a few years back against…" Rodney cut him off sharply. 

"Morgarath is gone now, we don’t need to talk about that time again. But you’re right about the raid having an effect on him. Samdash valued his privacy, but he got the job done better than anyone and I think it was in part due to the raid against Morgarath.” 

Karel had been a junior officer in the academy when the Morgarath had made his attempted coup and so he hadn’t been a part of the action, but even then he remembered the terror that had seized him and everyone. And Samdash had driven out the villain. No wonder Samdash was closed off. 

“We’ll start an investigation chief, but people are pretty torn up about this. Maybe a small team, possibly outside the force?” Karel hated to suggest it, but Samdash had a part of the precinct forever. People’s emotions were running high and it would be good to look at things from an outside perspective. 

“I sent in the request for a private detective and the network said someone would be here,” Rodney looked at his watch, “Right now.” As if right on cue Rodney and Karel saw a figure in the distance wearing a long black coat and holding out a badge to an inquiring officer. The officer let the figure through and made her way to Rodney.

In the distance, Rodney could see the small figure cutting and weaving through people. It was Detective Serenne. Rodney sighed. Serenne was a good one, but in Rodney's opinion, she tended to make things more complicated and see conspiracies where there weren't any. She'd dig into the Samdash case until it was solved, that was for sure, but Rodney wasn't so sure that there was a case to be solved. 

“Detective Serenne, I wish I could say it was good to see you-”

Cassie finished his sentence for him. It was like their little crime scene ritual. “But it’s not good to see anyone in these circumstances. What’s the rundown so far?”

“Lieutenant Samdash was found dead in his house this morning at 9:34 AM. The apartment's clean of prints, there's no sign of struggle. We won't know anything more until the lab and coroner reports come in.”

“Will there be an active investigation?” inquired Cassie. There had to be one. She knew she was on the case, but the mysterious death of a high profile lieutenant was bound to have a full police investigation as well. 

“Of course, but it seems fairly cut and dry at this point. There was no sign of intruders or any disturbances. All we can do right now is wait for the lab reports.” 

“So you think he just keeled over? There has to be more at play here, something we’re missing.” 

Rodney had to contain a flash of annoyance. The detective was right, as she often was, but they had known about Samdash’s death for only an hour. Of course they were missing something, they just didn’t know what they were missing. 

“That’s why you’re here; to help us figure out what that missing element is.” Rodney had a lot of affection for Cassandra. She was the daughter of one of his old friends and she was a darn good detective. However, even the best detectives needed help sometimes. 

Cassie was about to smile when she saw Rodney motion over his shoulder at a young officer standing nearby. The officer started to come up to Rodney. Rodney was assigning her an officer. Cassie preferred to work alone on cases like this. She had a gut feeling that this case was going to get tricky and having someone else by her side would just cramp her style.

"We'll assign you Officer Altman to help with the investigation." Altman, the name rang a bell in Cassie's mind. Why did Altman sound so familiar? The officer in question stepped forward and gave a quick salute and Cassie's expression soured. Ah, that was why Altman sounded so familiar. He had been at the ceremony last year where Cassie's dad had given him a medal. They hadn't personally met at the event, but she recalled seeing him around the dinner and getting the impression that he was too arrogant and too charming for her liking. For such a young guy, he had quite the prolific case file. He had stopped a string of high profile robberies a couple years back when he just started out and had only rocketed up in standing at the station and in the public eye. Horace had even been a part of her rescue team a decade back, which Cassie tried not to think about. Cassie hesitated when working with anyone else, especially with someone like Horace, but something stopped her from outright rejecting the Chief's offer. She wasn't sure what it was, perhaps it was her dad's glowing recommendation of Horace or gut instincts or even the fact that he had helped rescue her years ago, but as Cassie looked at the tall, brown-haired man in front of her, she didn't say no to the help. 

“Alright Rodney, only for you.” She smiled at Rodney and Rodney smiled back and left, leaving the detective and the officer to their devices.

The officer stuck out his hand for Cassie to shake. His shake was firm and warm, his dark hands engulfing Cassie’s not small hands. 

“I’m Officer Horace Altman at your service.”

“Detective Cassie Serenne. Pleased to meet you.” 

Horace gestured to the tiny house. “Shall we get started?”  
~  
The duo was looking at every nook and cranny in Samdash’s house, starting with the door. Samdash had been packing some of the heaviest looks and security systems Horace had ever seen. It was overkill if you asked Horace, but Samdash had always been a stickler for personal security and privacy. It made sense. What didn’t make sense is how none of them seemed disturbed; no signs of forced entry. 

Cassie ran her hand along the doorway and turned to Horace. 

“What are you looking for?” 

Cassie shook her head. “Nothing in particular. I just wanted to see if Samdash had any extra surprises for people that might not have been set off. Nothing.” 

Horace entered the house and looked around, Cassie followed him. There was nothing out of the ordinary in the kitchen or living room so they made their way to the bedroom where Samdash had been found. 

The room had been examined, but it hadn’t been tampered with. If the crime scene tape wasn’t there, it could have been any old room. Cassie took the time to look all around the room, noting the exit points and any possible items of value. The desk caught her attention and she saw a small drawer on the side, almost imperceptible. 

Bingo. Taking out a bobby pin from her hair, Cassandra squatted down and started to jam the pin in the drawer.

“Are you breaking into his desk?” exclaimed Horace, sounding shocked. 

"Yep." Cassie rummaged around and found a note with one word written on it; Crowley. She shoved it into her pocket. It could be a clue.

Horace knelt by the unmade bed and sniffed at the brown sheets. Wrinkling her face in disgust, Cassie went to join Officer Altman by the bed. Why was he sniffing the sheets?

Horace stood up with a triumphant look on his face. “The sheets are disturbed. Samdash was tossing and turning for a long time before he got up. Sweating too I’d wager.” 

Ah, that was why he had smelled sheets. Effective, but gross. “Could be a sign that he was poisoned, but there’s no signs of forced entrance and the exit points out of this room are nonexistent.”

“I’ll tell the report analyzers that and they can see once they get the lab results. Other than that, I’m not seeing anything else.” 

Cassie had come to the same conclusion. “So now we need to start seeing if Samdash had any enemies, strange connections of the sort and establish what he was doing last night.” 

Horace scratched his head. “That means phone records, a deep dive, and talking around the station. I can get the records and ask around for any information.”

“Perfect. I can do a deep search on him and we’ll get the lab reports together.” 

He saluted her and Cassie had to stifle a snort. She wasn’t part of the force, she didn’t need a salute. “You don’t need to salute me, I’m not your captain.”

“But you are my partner.” Horace looked genuine and Cassie was surprised. She hadn’t thought that the hot shot officer would treat her with respect. It was nice.

“Give me your number so we can stay in touch.” 

Horace dutifully handed over his phone and she plugged her contact into the device. She handed him back his phone and Horace started to type. Cassie’s phone pinged and she got a text notification from an unknown number- Horace. 

He smiled at her and it kind of lit up the crime scene. “Just so you have my number.”

Oh boy, Cassie thought to herself. She was going to have trouble with this case, but it might just be the good kind. 

“I’m gonna go and do some digging. Nice meeting you.” Cassie turned and started walking away. Her computer was waiting for her and Cassie wanted to figure out who Crowley was. 

As she was walking out, Horace called out to her. “Wait Serenne!” I like to get to know my partners while on the case. Let’s box something, it’s a great release for case frustrations.”

Cassie couldn’t tell if he was serious or not so she just smiled and waved. No one had ever offered to get to know her during a case and normally she didn’t want to get to know anyone, but Horace was different. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but he was so earnest and a goody-goody. Cassie kind of liked it. Her type normally was “Skinny boy with a tragic backstory” but maybe she could be persuaded.


	2. The Archives and the Tip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassie visits an old friend and the archives; Horace gets a mysterious tip.

Cassie entered George’s office and slammed her hand down on his desk after he didn’t see her enter. The noise startled him out of his papers. 

“Geez, Cassandra!”

Cassie considered herself to be fairly good at research. She wasn’t the best at it, but she could pick out good information from a mile away. But even she hadn’t been able to get any hits on Crowley that didn’t lead to closed systems. It was like the man never existed. However Samdash had known this Crowley guy, Cassie couldn’t figure it out. That’s where George came in. George was singlehandedly the best person Cassie knew at research and a dear friend. Maybe dear friend wasn’t the right word for their relationship; Cassie dragged George into criminal research and slightly illegal activities in the name of the law and in return, she gave George all the information he needed during court cases and testified when possible. It was a solid friendship.

“Sorry George. Did I scare you?” She didn’t sound sorry at all. 

George leveled a glare at Cassie. She knew he had been scared and he knew that she knew that. It was part of their tradition and George hated and loved it at the same time.

“Someday, Cassandra, I’m going to scare you.” 

There was a better chance of pigs flying, but Cassie didn’t tell him that. 

“I bet you will George. Hey, so I need you to do some digging on Lieutenant Samdash and any connections he might have.”

George’s fingers were already flying over the keyboard and Cassie could see he was getting into the zone. She settled back and watched him. In a little bit she would go to the archives and do some digging of her own, but it was impressive to watch George work.

“A preliminary search doesn’t bring up much; police certifications and that’s about it.”

Interesting. Cassie knew some of the more paranoid police officers kept a low online profile, especially the undercover cops, but Samdash wasn’t a real active part of the field. “Can you pull up any tax records or schooling? Maybe organizations he went to?” 

Another glare. “I’d have to do some deeper and darker searches Cassandra.”

“I’ll buy you that new book you’ve been wanting. Hardcover too,” wheedled Cassie. “Please?”

Letting out a breath, George motioned for Cassie to leave him. “I need some space if I’m gonna do this and I’m guessing you want access to the archives?”

“You know me so well.”  
~  
The archives were familiar to Cassie, familiar enough that she could get lost in them for hours. She had used them for many cases and they had been of the utmost help. George had been right; there was next to nothing in Samdash’s public files. A police certification and some old tax records and that was it. Cassie frowned; there should at least have been a voting record and proof of residence. Samdash really had kept a low profile.

Cassie snapped pictures of the files for reference and started to head upstairs to see if George had found anything else. Before she did, she went to the file she always checked while in the archives. Taking it from the cabinet, Cassie held the innocent looking file in her hands and opened it. Nothing had been updated in Morgarath’s files since the last time she had checked, which meant that there was no new info on the man. 

Biting back a curse, Cassie put the file back in its place, the edges just a tiny bit crumpled. She had a feeling that Morgarath was behind Samdash’s death, but she had no reason to think that. There was no evidence for his involvement, but Cassie knew deep in her bones that Morgarath had something to do with Samdash. She just had to figure out the connection. 

She headed upstairs and saw George scribbling furiously on the whiteboard in his office. He didn’t turn around when he heard Cassie enter. 

“All the stuff I found is on my desk. Samdash was a piece of work; could barely find anything on him, but I did find a picture of him with some people, possibly for a fraternity, and that once in a police newsletter he was quoted as saying he enjoyed the police bar, but not as much as The Bullseye.” 

Perplexed, Cassie picked up the folder George had generously made for her. “Huh.” She’d run the photo through a facial recognition software and see if anyone in the photo had a record, then she’d go from there. 

“Thank you so much George. I really appreciate it.”

Finally George turned around. “Of course. Oh! I think I’ll need you to investigate this one shady company sometime in the next month for me. Nigel thinks they’re doing illegal genetic modifications to animals. Possibly bears.”

And thus was Cassie’s life. Juggling society events for her dad with personal investigations and investigating shady companies doing experiments on bears as a favor to a friend. Cassie wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Cassie’s phone chimed and she saw she had a text from Horace. It read: “There was an anonymous tip left in the tip box. Can you come down to the station?” 

George nodded at her phone. “Is that someone for the case?” 

“Yeah, an assigned officer Rodney made me work with.” George coughed. He knew all about Cassie’s dislike of assigned partnering with cops. Cassie ignored him. “He seems cool though.”

“Well, good luck with the case and I’ll keep trying to find anything on Samdash. Some of the men in the picture looked a little familiar…” George trailed off and Cassie knew that he was going back into deep thinking, so she left quietly and without a trace.  
~  
At the station, Horace pulled her into a private meeting room. Leaning against the table, Cassie looked Horace in his eyes. He had gorgeous dark eyes and Cassie had to berate herself for getting distracted. 

“My information guy found a lead about Samdash. He apparently liked the Bullseye more than any other bar.” 

“More than Chubb’s? The Bullseye? Wait, that’s one of the names on the anonymous tip.” This was the only thing they had been able to figure out about the tip. The tip had included the name William Morris, the Bullseye, and something about a wargal. It was mostly nonsense as William Morris didn’t exist and wargal was gibberish. The only reason Horace had called Cassie in was to see if she could make anything of it and it was their only lead.

“Apparently it’s a tiny dive bar across town. You can barely find it on a good day. No website or recorded address, only a single one star review left online by the username “d4ng3r0usp4st1m3” that said ‘They would not let me drink as much as I wanted, threw me out on my dang butt. Would not recommend.’” 

Horace sighed. Of course Samdash would have to go to disreputable, impossible to find bars in his free time. 

“Well, I guess we’ll have to investigate the bar since it’s the only lead we have. Shall we go right now?” 

Cassie raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you want to go in looking like that?” She pointed toward the uniform and badge Horace was sporting. “They won’t want to talk to you in that uniform.” 

Horace looked down at his uniform. He thought he looked rather intimidating and dashing in it, but he supposed Cassie was right. 

“You’re right. I’ll go change into civvies.”

“No, we’ll go tomorrow or the next day after you get off of work. Give ‘em some time to sweat about the connection to Samdash. Desperate people make mistakes.” Plus it gave Cassie time to investigate the men in the picture with Samdash. One of them looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t place the older gentleman’s face. 

Cassie did have more experience with this sort of thing, but privately Horace disagreed. He wanted to go in guns ablazing and ask point blank what Crowley knew, but Cassie was right and he knew it. 

“Okay, you're the boss. I’ll text you after work tomorrow or the next day and we’ll meet up then.” Horace knew this definitely was not a date- they were in the middle of a murder investigation for goodness sake- but it kind of felt like a date. 

Cassie chirped out a goodbye and the pair parted ways.


	3. An Encounter with a Mysterious Bartender

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horace and Cassie start to go undercover at the Bullseye. Like most things in this investigation, it doesn't go well and things start to get a little bit heated after meeting Crowley.

Their reconnaissance mission had been a disaster. As soon as Crowley had started gently mocking Horace, Horace had flashed his badge and everyone had clammed up. It made Cassie groan even thinking about it.

The Bullseye was just like Horace was expecting. Dimly lit, the overwhelming smell of cheap beer, and most of the small number of patrons were slumped over their drinks. All in all, it was not a place Horace would have ever particularly thought he would have found Samdash frequenting.

Cassie seemed completely at ease and Horace felt himself relaxing at her confidence, but he still felt uncomfortable doing this sneaky stuff. Cassie was so confident and at ease in all situations, it was hard to imagine her ever feeling out of place. 

They sidled up to the bar where a red-headed man was cleaning off glasses. 

“I’ll be with you in a second!” The bartender cried out cheerfully, calling everyone’s attention to Cassie and Horace. The man turned around and Horace recognized the man as someone who had been in the picture with Samdash. The man didn’t look outwardly dangerous, but there was the barest hint of an edge to his smile. 

“What can I get you two?” The ginger rested his hands on the counter and Cassie had the strangest feeling that this was an interrogation. She tried to pick her words carefully. 

“We wanted to order some drinks.” Cassie tried to make it seem like she was already a little tipsy, but Horace sat straight as a ram-rod. “I’ll have a white wine and he’ll have a beer.” 

Without a word, Crowley went to the back and came out with the drinks. He waved for someone to stay in the back room and Cassie idly wondered who was back there. The drinks were slid across the counter and Horace caught them both, passing Cassie’s to her. 

“Thanks…” said Cassie, letting the sentence drop, hoping Crowley would start up a conversation. 

“Crowley,” The man supplied easily, flashing a winning smile. “What brings two strangers into my bar?” The smile stayed up, but it seemed less of a smile somehow and more of a baring of teeth. Did Crowley know they were investigating him? 

Horace leaned back. “Just wanted a place off the beaten path.” 

Cassie groaned in her head. Horace had made the mistake of admitting they wanted to come here. She should’ve briefed him more before coming into the bar. 

“Well, this is off the beaten path. We have fun here at the Bullseye.” Crowley gestured to mostly dead bar and to a large man who was snoring in the corner. Horace did his best to keep a look of distaste off of his face, but he knew he wasn’t successful. Cassie beside him was doing a much better job of being composed. 

“It looks like you do have fun.” This conversation was getting awkward and Cassie had no idea if it was because Horace was throwing her game off or Crowley wasn’t really cooperating. 

Leaning forward, Crowley stared at them, eyeing Horace in particular. “Since we are off the beaten path, how did a couple of straight-lacers like you find a dingy bar like this? We don’t normally get outsiders here.” It wasn’t a threat and it didn’t sound like a threat, but it felt like a threat to Horace.

Cassie figured she was probably not going to get a better chance to mention Samdash, but before she could do so, Horace started to swell up in his chair. In an instant, he had his badge out in the open. 

“Araluen police!” No one else in the bar even turned to look at Horace. They were oblivious. “Crowley, we need your full cooperation in the investigation in the death of Sa- wahuggh!”

The rest of his sentence was muffled as Cassie clamped her hand over his mouth. He could not be doing that right now. 

“I’m sorry, my boyfriend is a little too drunk for his own good. He’s not actually a policeman and I have no idea where he got that fake badge.” Cassie flashed an apologetic smile towards Crowley who had his arms crossed with a hard but oddly amused smile on his face. He clearly didn’t believe her.

“We know all about being drunk here, but I’m going to have to ask you and your,” Crowley paused here, the skepticism evident in his voice, “boyfriend to leave.” 

Horace had swelled up even more and looked like he was about to protest when Cassie grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the establishment. As soon as they were out of earshot, Cassie broke away from Horace.

“Are you trying to mess up the investigation? Ugh, you’re such a police officer.” Cassie twirled away from him. Her frustration was bubbling up within her; she knew she was taking it out unfairly on Horace, but had he learned nothing from his police work? 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Horace sounded much colder than he had a second ago. Cassie had said something wrong. However, she kept going.

“You’re all brute force and no subtlety, no strategy. This investigation needs discretion.” Horace turned away from her, his face hidden. 

“Discretion, huh? Brute force? Is that all you see of me, Cassie?” The hurt in his voice was obvious. “Despite what you think, I’m more than muscles and a badge. I’m always the one on the front line because I know I can take whatever’s coming. I’m strong enough to take it, but others aren’t. I’m brute force because if I’m not, someone else is and they won’t be as good at it as me. It’s the truth and you know it. People look at me and see the hero, they see me as the threat which allows people like you and Officer Samdash to do your work.” 

A sinking feeling was in Cassie’s stomach. She had gone too far, let her bias towards cops color her perception of Horace. She hadn’t meant to imply that Horace was just a body, though admittedly he had a nice one. Horace was perhaps the most honorable man she knew and his determination was what made him such a good person. 

“Horace, I didn’t mean it like that,” she told him. 

“And how did you mean it? Because the way you phrased it disrespected a lot of good people, people who I work with.” 

It wasn’t her best trait, but when Cassie was getting criticized, she got defensive, but she always knew when she was wrong. “You know what I meant by it Horace. I meant that you’re on the front lines taking bullets and I’m behind the scenes, buttering people up for information. One without the other is useless. I’m just frustrated and it’s not fair of me to blame you. I should have handled it better. I’m sorry; please accept my apology.” 

Horace grumbled, but he shook his head and remembered the words he had grown up with. Sandra had always said not to let words of anger spoken in the heat of the moment damage a relationship. He knew Cassie was stressed and frustrated with the case and that she hadn’t meant to belittle

“I don’t go undercover and I’m not in the mood.” Cassie knew the feeling, but they had to solve the Samdash case and not taking action wouldn’t help them solve the case.

“Well now you’re going to have to.” 

Horace got real close and the intensity of his stare startled Cassie. Passion and displeasure were mixed together and when Cassie drew closer despite herself, he whispered to her.

“Only for you.”


	4. The Car Shop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Horace's beloved car, Kicker, breaks down and he goes to a different repair shop than usual to get her fixed.

It was pitch black and Horace's car wasn't starting. He knew it was old, but Kicker was Horace's pride and joy. Unfortunately, after looking at Kicker for what seemed like forever, Horace still couldn’t figure out what was wrong with the car. Another thing to add to his list after prepping for the undercover Bullseye mission that was happening tomorrow.

Horace had been working nonstop the past week without a day off after the failed undercover mission and he was practically dragged out of the precinct by Rodney and told to take a day off or else. "Under no circumstances are you to come into the precinct and work on this case today." 

"But Chief-" Horace started to protest but was cut off by a weary hand. 

"Horace, this is an important case and we need our men at their best for it. Working through the night without a break in who knows how long is not your best effort. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I'm going to be late to dinner with Nigel." Horace knew when to take a hint and left Rodney’s office feeling dejected.

Horace had to admit that a full night of sleep had been refreshing, but he couldn't stand sitting around while Samdash's killer was still out there. Plus, if he sat down for a second, he'd start thinking about Cassie and he couldn't deal with those feelings right now. He had known her for a short time, but already he was majorly falling for her. And to top it all off, now his car wouldn't start. Well, his car could start after turning the keys a couple times (and kicking it more than a couple times, hence the name Kicker) but Kicker needed to see a mechanic. 

Horace figured that Kicker didn't have enough juice to get him to his normal auto shop, which was closed anyway, but looking online showed some promising shops closer by. There was even one in the same area as the Bullseye. Cassie had practically drummed it into his mind that he was under no circumstances to go to the Bullseye alone, but she couldn't be mad if he nonchalantly walked by it if it was on the way back to his house. It was decided then, Horace thought. He'd go to the new mechanic and do some reconnaissance on the way. 

The closer Kicker got to the auto shop, the more Horace was sure he had made the right call. Kicker was making weirder noises than usual and was very jerky. Plus, he had driven right by the dingy Bullseye on the way to Niall's Auto Repairs. There was no sign of activity at the bar, not that Horace was expecting any movement, and he heard Cassie's words of warning in his mind. 

"Stay away from the Bullseye and Crowley unless we're together, Horace. I mean it." Huh, when had he started to hear her voice in his head, and when had she started calling him Horace instead of Altman? 

Shaking those out of his head, Horace walked into Niall's and looked around. It was a small repair shop, none too clean but no auto shop worth its salt was. Several cars sat on the ground and in the air. Despite the small dingy appearance, the business appeared to be attracting a lot of customers. The online reviews had praised the workers and the work they did, but Horace had dug a little deeper and found out that the mechanics here did pro bono repairs for people in need. That was definitely worth coming to the shop, Horace liked to support establishments like this, but there seemed to be no one around. 

“Hello?” he called out into the grey shop. “Is there anyone here?” The sign had said they were open, there had to be someone around. 

Silence stewed around Horace for a few moments before a gruff voice said “Look up,” and a head and face poked out from under one of the suspended cars. 

“No one ever thinks to look up,” the man muttered, more to himself than to Horace. His Hibernian accent was thick and his voice was rough. Despite not knowing anything about the man, Horace felt a connection to this man. He had no idea why, he just did. 

“Sorry about that, I should’ve looked up. My car Kicker is in bad shape and I was wondering if you could take a look at it today.” 

“You in some kind of hurry boy?” The man gestured around him to the broken cars. “I’ve got a lot to work on.” The man was staring at Horace like he had seen him before, but Horace didn’t notice.

Horace wasn’t fazed. “I need it for work, but if the other cars need repairs, I can help out with the basics so you can look at my car.” Horace wouldn’t have normally tried to barter with the man, but he got the sense that the mechanic might accept his offer, despite how cranky he seemed. 

The man narrowed his dark eyes in surprise, it felt like he was trying to stare into Horace’s soul. Most people wouldn’t be so flexible or willing to help out, much less help out a grumpy Hibernian. “If you can do basic repairs, why don’t you fix your own car?” A valid question, but Horace wasn’t going to back down. 

“I looked at Kicker all morning and none of my checks brought up anything. I’m thinking there’s something wrong with the combustion engine. Maybe a hairline crack.” He stared right back at the black-haired man. Horace was tired of people questioning him. Sure, he was big, but he was smart too. The older officers at the precinct still didn’t give him respect. He wanted one person, the back of his mind nagged “Cassie”, to see him as capable of being more than just a police officer. 

The man stared back for a moment, assessing Horace. After what felt like forever, he reached back under the car and tossed a wrench down to Horace. 

“Take a look at the blue car over there, the dead battery light was flashing, and don’t talk to me unless it’s necessary. I’ll look at your car after I finish up with this one.” 

A wave of relief flooded through Horace. He could help out. The man went to turn back to his car and Horace called out. 

“Thank you,” Horace trailed off at the end, hoping the man would tell Horace his name. 

“It’s Halt.” 

“I’m Horace.” With that, Horace went to work.  
~  
It took most of the day to repair Kicker, but Horace was content to work in Niall’s. The silence was soothing and all other thoughts melted away as Horace focused on the cars. He had finished working long before Halt had, so he went out to get some coffee for himself and Halt. 

When Horace got back, Halt was still working on Kicker and Horace sat back in silence, sipped his coffee and watched. The man was a genius when it came to repairs, Horace could tell, and he was completely silent as he worked. Halt didn’t make any sounds; it was kind of unnatural. Finally, Halt got up and wiped his hands on his shirt, accepting the cup of coffee Horace held out as an offering. He took a sip and sighed appreciatively. 

“Ahh, that’s a good cup of coffee. Boy, I haven’t met many people who appreciate black coffee as much as I do. Too many things added spoils the cup.” Horace nodded in agreement. 

“It keeps me awake during late nights on the force. Took awhile to get used to it, but now I can’t go without it.” 

The two men drank in silence, enjoying the coffee. Halt crumpled up his cup and tossed it across the room where it landed in the trash bin. 

“Lucky shot,” commented Horace. Halt merely shrugged. 

“I guess so.” 

“Is Kicker all good now?” 

“Wouldn’t be here yapping with ya if it wasn’t.” Horace looked at Halt mildly. He had a point, but Halt didn’t have to be so blunt about it. 

“Thank you Halt. This means a lot to me.” 

“Nothing to it kid. Just in a day’s work.” 

Horace had to shake his head at that. Halt shouldn’t have to be humble about this shop and the work he did. “No, I’m serious. You do good work here Halt; I wish I had known about shops like these when I was younger. Could’ve helped me out a lot during my early days on the force.” 

“Yeah?” Halt raised an eyebrow at Horace, clearly letting Horace continue on. 

“When I moved out of my foster parent’s home, I wanted to be my own man and all that jazz so I declined most of the money they gave me. Don’t regret it at all, but for a while things were really tight.” Arald and Sandra had offered Horace money to get himself started when he had first told them he wanted to move out, but he wanted to start being his own independent person. Horace visited them fairly often though, now that he thought about it he should visit them again soon. 

Halt looked at Horace with respect. “I can relate to that. Left home early too. It’s why I started this old shop, to help people like us.” Horace like the sound of that.

Horace smiled at Halt. It was time to go, but he didn’t really want to. He didn’t want to pass by the Bullseye for reconnaissance or even think about the Samdash case. He wanted to stay and have this man mentor him in life. But Horace went up and grabbed Kicker’s keys out of the outstretched hands of Halt. In exchange, Horace stuffed an enormous wad of bills in Halt’s hand. Halt stiffened up, clearly surprised. He had good reason to be. Horace had just given him three times the amount the repairs had cost. 

Horace was already walking to Kicker when he turned around. “I want to make sure you can continue to help people. If you ever need any help, give me a call. I’d love to help.” 

For the first time all day, Halt had an expression on his face that was almost kind. It was thoughtful and pleased, like Horace had passed some sort of test. “I’ll do that Horace. Thank you.” 

There was just one more question Horace needed answered and he could leave with Kicker. A question he desperately needed answered. “One more thing. If you started this place, who’s Niall?” He ducked his head into the front seat as Halt threw a rag at him.

“Get outta here!” Horace waved cheerfully as he drove down the street. Halt stared at the departing car for a minute before heading back into the shop. It was almost time to head over to the bar and work a shift there and Halt needed to make some calls. Today’s visit had changed things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halt finally shows up!


	5. Horace and Cassie Try Again

Horace and Cassie were walking towards The Bullseye in an attempt to gather some more information on Crowley and his connection to Samdash. Their first attempt hadn’t been successful thanks to Horace. Cassie groaned internally when she thought about Horace flashing his badge and asking the wrong questions, scaring everyone in the bar off. How could the shining knight of the police force be so bad at getting information from people? That was why she liked being a detective. She was still a part of the force, but she got to do things her own way. Her way was a little more subtle than Horace’s. If Horace was a sword, she was a dagger. Her mind wandered back to this morning.   
~  
Cassie had taken charge of this excursion today and so she and Horace were dressed in civvies instead of their uniforms. She had wanted to go full undercover, but Horace had adamantly refused to leave his badge at home. They compromised and his badge was sitting at the bottom of Cassie’s purse. If he wanted to bring it with them, she was going to be the one who controlled it. She had to brief Horace at her apartment on his cover.

“Remember, I’m Evanlyn and your name is…” 

“Michael,” Horace grumbled. Cassie elbowed him in the side. 

“You said you wanted to do things my way. This is my way, now sound happy about it.” 

“I know, I know, but Michael is such a dopey name. I could be Niall instead” 

She had to conceal a smile at his complaint. Only Horace Altman would complain about having a dopey undercover name and choose the name Niall as his preferred option. 

“Are you Hibernian now?” She asked in a teasing voice. Horace looked at her, then smiled and shook his head. 

“I most definitely could not pass as Hibernian. My accent would tip them off immediately. I did meet a Hibernian at an auto shop yesterday named Halt though.” Horace added that last bit as almost an afterthought. 

“You can tell me all about your repair shop adventures at the bar Michael. We have to go.”  
~  
As they were walking towards the bar, Horace’s mind wandered. He was usually so focused, but something about Cassie made him crazy. Horace wasn’t sure what Cassie was expecting to get out of talking to Crowley again. He had pretty much scared everyone off the last time they were there, but she had reassured him that he needed to let her take point on this mission and to trust her. He did, but he still wanted his badge. And maybe his vest. This Crowley guy seemed affable but dangerous. 

Cassie’s mind was also wandering as they reached The Bullseye. This mission to investigate Lieutenant Samdash’s death seemed more complicated than it appeared and Cassie didn’t like that. The ties Samdash had to mysterious people, people like Farrel and Crowley, didn’t have any files or information on them and that was bad news. No files either meant they lived unremarkable, dull lives or it meant there had been tampering. Cassie was betting on the latter. Cassie was so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t see the man in front of her on the street. She recognized that grim face and the name John Buttle flashed through her mind. He was her first arrest years back and he was never convicted of his crimes. If he saw her, the mission was over. They wouldn’t be able to interrogate Crowley and his associates.

Cassie panicked, they were at the door of The Bullseye and Buttle was coming towards them. He was going to see her at any minute and Horace hadn’t even noticed. Horace stopped at the door and looked questioningly at Cassie since she had paused and when his face swung towards hers, Cassie pressed her lips to his. 

Horace wasn’t expecting that, but he heard Cassie quietly breath out “Just go with it,” and he did. It was...nice. They stayed interlocked for a few minutes as a man passed them by and looked at them with a disgusted look on his face. Horace figured that Cassie started the kiss as a distraction and swung her around to face the wall, almost completely hiding her entire body. 

“Get a room,” muttered the man. After the Buttle had passed, Cassie almost reluctantly pulled herself out of Horace’s arms. 

“Sorry about that,” she said. “That man was John Buttle, my first arrest. He would’ve recognized me and blown our cover.” 

Horace was sure he sounded flustered, stumbling over words. “It’s, that’s- good. Good idea.” Cassie merely laughed.

“Not so bad yourself, partner.” 

Horace was about to respond when the door to the bar swung open and they realized where they were. A thin man with curly hair scurried out the door, ducking his head like he didn’t want Horace and Cassie to recognize him. Or maybe it was just that he had seen their makeout session. Horace would’ve felt the same if he were in that man’s shoes. 

A voice cried out from inside ‘See you later Barton!” and Cassie recognized the voice as Crowley’s. It was time to go in. Horace took a deep breath and wrapped his hand in Cassie’s. She looked up in surprise but didn’t pull away. Another deep breath and Horace and Cassie stepped into the bar.


End file.
